State Track and Field kicks of races, athletes race in style
DES MOINES, Iowa — The 2025 Iowa High School State Track and Field kicked off their four days of racing at Drake Stadium, and many of the athletes raced in style.
These athletes have prepared and pushed themselves all season for the opportunity to step foot on the famous blue oval. Students rolled up on Thursday in decked-out school buses and stepped onto the track looking just as good.
Wayne High School sophomore Ella Whitney ran at the blue oval in 2024 and wanted to bring some fun to the field again this year.
'Ya know, it's State, why not go all out. I think everything should be fun, we even got different color spandex for state, so I think it should be fun and outgoing and whatever makes it special,' said Whitney.
Over in Buffalo Center, the town may be a little short on bleach and toner. The seniors at North Iowa Buffalo Center High School like to stand out at state.
'Well, regularly, in the past few seasons, we've just bleached our hair, but this year we wanted to do something special because it's our senior year,' said Grunhovd. 'Then I just landed with some stars on my head, I don't know.'
The Earlham High School girls' 4×800 team was a matching set due to the help of a teammate with a flair for braids and buns, and it wasn't just hair; even the glitter matched.
'It's a fun little way for us to just be a group, be a team, so yeah, the glitter was the teammates. I did both of their hair plus my own. We've just, we've always been really close, and we feel that it makes it more enjoyable because running is a hard sport, so anything you can do to make it better makes it more worthwhile.'
That united front brought the Earlham Girls 4×800 to a runner-up finish.
It's just day one of the Track and Field State Tournament, the athletes are sure to continue showing up with a little flair. Keep up with results and events during the 2025 State Track and Field Tournament here.
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